Method of making spring covers



Sept. 5, 1933. 6. w. cms'r IETHOD OF IAKING SPRING COVERS Filed July 7, 19:50

MAMA

attomqao Patented Sept. 5, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 METHOD OF MAKING SPRING COVERS George w. Crist, Detroit, Mich. Application July 7,1930. Serial No. 465,959

4 Claims. (01. 153-1) This invention relates to a method of making spring covers for covering the laminated springs of automotive vehicles and has particular referber of odd or unusual ways 'for the reason that the cover must partake of the movements or fiexures of the spring at both sides of its normally horizontal or straight position. The cover therefore must be articulated or provided .with other means such as slots or cuts to allow the metal of the spring cover to give with the spring flexures.

In the present invention, the spring cover is formed of a single sheet of metal having no hinged joints but when applied to the spring will freely partake of the movements or flexures of the spring at either side of its normally horizontal position.

The cover of the invention comprises a pref erably trapezoidal sheet of metal provided with two rows of openings. The cover is bent. into channel form along the lines of the openings and after being bent into channel form, it is passed through or pressed in 'a die which spreads the metal of the sides to elongate the spring cover (and may also crowd together the metal of the web to shorten the web) and give to the cover an arcuate formation in which the sides have been somewhat lengthened. The sides are then cut from the edge inwardly to the base of the channel or to th openings and thecover then passed through a second die to rebend 'orrefor'm it to its horizontal position. When thecover is rebent to horizontal position, the edges of the cuts will overlap to form a tight closure for the spring. I

The ends of the sides arebent underneath the spring into overlapping relation to'cover. the spring bottom, and only every alternate section issecured together to allow for easy flexure.

At suitable points along-the length of the spring cover. it may be provided withbulged portions to accommodate the spring clips.

On thegdrawing:

Figure 1 shows a view of a sheet of metal from which the blanks of the invention are cut and with the openings shown in theblanks.

Figure 2 is one of the .blanks'of Figure 1 bent,

into channel shape along the lines of the openstretched.

which will laterbe described.

Figure 4 is the cover of Figure 3 rebent to horizontal or straightline position after having had its sides cut.

.Figure 5 is a perspective view of the cover showing one of the joints.

Figure 6 shows the cover applied to the laminated spring of a vehicle. I i

Figure 7 is a bottom view of the spring cover on the line 7-7 of Figure 6.

Figure '8 is a section on the line 8-8 of Figure 6.

Figure 9 is an enlarged detailed view showing the cover modified to accommodate spring clips.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 1 indicates the sheet of metal from which the cover blanks 2 are formed. The-blanks are out. from the sheet along the lines 3. The blank is shown as of trapezoidal formationfwhich is preferred although a rectangular form.v mayv be used. Along parallel lines along the center of the cover,

there are provided two rows of openings 4 and 6.

As many of these openings as may be desired may beprovided. At suitable points along the length of the cover' some of the openings indicated at 8 and 10 are elongated for a purpose Instead of the elongated openings 8 and 10, cuts may be used. After the openings have been provided in the blank as shown in Figure 1, it is bent along the lines 12 .and14 to the shapeshown in Figure 2.

The lines -12 and 14 pass through the edges of the rows of openings 4 and .6 so that when the sheet is formed into channel formation, the rows of openings 4 and 6 will beat the edges of the channel between the base or web 16 and the sides 18 and 20 of the channel. I

After being formed into the shape shown in Figure 2, the channel is then passed through a circular die or other device v(not shown and the structure of which is not essential to the present invention) having a radius less than the rebound camber of the spring to stretch or spread the metal of the sides 18 and 20 (and, if desired, to

' crowd together the metal of the base or web 16 and the portion of the sides adjacent thebase) so that the cover will receive an arcuate formation as' shown in Figure 3. If desired, the forming of the blankinto channel form (FigureZ) may be'omitted and instead the blank sides are bent or formed down at right angles to the blank proper along the lines of the openings and stretched or spread in the same operation. The

crowding of the'web 16 maybe omitted.- In the structure of Figure 3, the sides 18 and 20; have been elongated and are considerably longer at theirouter edges :22 and 24 than the corre-, spondingedges 22 and 24 of Figure 2. The base or web 16 may either be of thesame length as that of Figure 2 or if the metal has been crowded together in the'die, it will be somewhat shortened. The cover will now have the arcuate formation shown in Figure 2. The sides 18 and 20 are then out along lines substantially as indicated at 26- and $28 inwardly from the edges 22 and 24 to the openings of the rows- 4 and 6. The cover is then reformed by passing through a die to the straight line form shown in Figure 4. When it is rebent to the shape of Figure 4 from that of Figure 3, the edges 30 and 32 of thecuts 26 and 28 will overlap as indicated at 34.

At the points on the cover where 'the elongated openings 8 and 10 have been provided, the

web 16 of the cover may be upwardly bent as indicated at 36 and the overlapping sides-34 are overlapping relation asshown at 48 in Figure 5.

Where'the-spring clips are used and the cover is pressed over the clips, it will .be unnecessary to supply any attaching means for the two overlapping ends. It will be sufficient to leave them in their overlapping relation for the reason that the cover is of sufiicient width to overlap.

"When spring clips are not used as in Figures 6 and 7, the sections or tongues 50, 50a, 50b, 50c,

50d of the split sides 18 and 20 are joined together underneath the spring only for every other pair of overlapping tongues 50, 50a, etc. Thus, alternate joints are shown at 52 and straight intermediate overlaps at' 54. By referring to thenumeral .56 in Figures 4 and 6, it will be seen that the endmost section or pair of tongues 50 and thethi'rd section or pair of tongues 50b have'their edges on top of the edges of the adjacent pair of tongues-50a, the edges .of the tongues 50a being unjoined as shown at 54 in Figure 7. This structure permits of ,a ready telescopic action of the sections 50a to 50d, inclusive, and allowsfor a more readymovement than if the sections were all joined underneath and/or had the same overlap at each split.

The spring shown in Figure 6 is in the normal positionit occupies when in place on the vehicle. The spring is subject tofiexures which will bow it at'its center to either side of the normalposition shown. The cover .40 must necessarily partake of these flexures. The movement of. the spring cover is allowed because of the overlapping engagement at 56 .ofthe sides and bottom. The movements of'thespring will cause the overlappingbottomand sides or edges 56 .toslide over each other both forward and backward, depending upon which side ofits center the spring is .flexed; The web. or bottom.16.of the channel tions. of the'edges22and24 between the cuts 26.

" will bender hinge onlines connecting .twoadjacent. openings 4 and6, or 8 and 10. 7

Where no spring cipsare used,.rthe blank 2.is preferably trapezoidal and the overlapping porand 28 are secured-to each otherinfany suitable Way. -but, preferably. as, shownin-Figures 5 and 8.

One of the meeting ends is bent into V-shape as shown at 58 while the other end has a flange 60 to lit in the V 58. The assembled joint 52 is pressed or hammered to the form shown in Figure 8 after the cover has been placed on the spring.

As a result of the invention, it will be seen that there has been provided a spring cover which is formed of a single sheet of metal and which does not comprise any unusual bends or formations to permit it to conform to spring flexures.

As formed, it is capable .of conforming to spring flexures .at either side of normal spring position.

' It is to be noted that for extreme spring flexures, the overlapping portions of the various sections 50 to 50d, inclusive, never reach a position where there'is a complete separation at the split or out; i. e.there is always some overlap between all sections.

"I claim:

1. The method of making a spring cover con sisting in making a plurality of aligned openings in a sheet of metal, shaping the sheet along the lines of the openings to substantially straight channel form, then shaping the channel tospread the metal of the channel sides and give an ar cuate'form to the cover, then cutting the sides from the edges-to the openings and then-reshaping the arcuate cover to substantially straight form to cause the edges at the cuts tov overlap. I

2. The'met'hodof making a spring cover consisting in making a plurality of aligned openings in a sheet of metal, shaping the sheet along the lines of the openings to substantially straight channel form, then shaping the channel to crowd the metal together at the bottom or base of the channel and spreadthe metal of the channel at the outer portion of the sides and give an arcuate form to the cover, then cutting the sides from the edges to the openings, and then reshaping 5 the arcuate cover to substantially straight form to cause the edges at the cuts to'overlap.

3. The method 'of'making a spring cover and securing it to aspring, consisting of shaping a piece of metal to the form of a channel, shaping said channel by spreadingthe metal of the sides to give anarcuate form to the channel, then cutting .the sidesfrom the edge of the channel to the web or base thereof to form a plurality of tongues,then in reshaping the arcuate channel to straight form to cause the tongues to overlap at their out edges, then in applying the channel over three sides of the spring, then in bending the ends of the tongues over the fourth side to cause the tongues to overlap, then in'intercom necting some only of the overlapping tongues.

4. The method of making a spring cover and securing it to a spring, consisting of shaping a piece of metal to the form of a channel, shaping said channel by spreading the metal of the sides to give anarcuate form to the channel, then cutting'the sides'from the edge of the channel to.

the-web or base thereof to form a plurality of tongues, then in reshaping the arcuate channel to straight form to cause the tongues to overlap at their cut edges, then in applying the channel over three sides of the spring, then in bending the ends of the tongues over the fourth side to cause the tongues to overlap, and then in interconnecting alternate overlapping tongues only. GEORGE W; CRIST. 

